Eilean Donan | Rooms in Scotland

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Eilean Donan
Highlands and Islands
The island and the castle get their name from a seventh centaury missionary called Donan who died in 618AD. It has seen many battles over the years, the earliest mention of the castle was in 1263 when it is said that Alexander III gave ownership of the castle to Colin McKenzie. However for many decades after ownership of Eilean Donan was disputed between the McKenzie’s and the Earl of Ross. The Clan McKenzie sheltered Robert the Bruce when he was hiding from the English in 1306 and were eventually rewarded by David II when a charted was created confirming ownership of the castle to the Clan McKenzie. It was also the centre of European affairs in 1719 around the time of the Jacobite rebellions. The Spanish king sought to put the House of Stewart back on the throne; he sent troops there to fortify the castle. It was then nearly completely destroyed by three English garrisons that were sent to counter the Spanish troops. The castle lay in ruins till it was bought by John MacRae-Gilstrap in 1911 and restoration of the castle began the next year with work being completed 20 years later in 1932. It now stands as one of the most picturesque castles within Scotland

Location

How to get here

Bus
You can catch a bus here from the surrounding towns, CityLink operates a direct service from Inverness which takes around 2 hours and costs around £19 return.

Train
You can catch a train from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh and the just get on the 60 bus to Dornie and walk to Eilean Donan.

Car
The A87 will take you to Eilean Donan, if you are driving from Inverness direction the the castle will be on your left and the trip should take around 2 hours.

Opening Times

10am - 6.00pm (Last Admission 5.00pm)

Mon - Sun 17 March - 17 Nov

Opens 9am Jul - Aug

Admission
Adults : £4.95 Concessions : £3.95 Under 5 : Free Groups : £3.80 (min 12 people)